


Double Trouble

by celli



Category: Sports Night, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Airplanes, Crossover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-08-08
Updated: 2005-08-08
Packaged: 2017-10-18 05:31:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/185548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celli/pseuds/celli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan and Casey, coach class, and a geek with attitude and hockey opinions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Double Trouble

**Author's Note:**

  * For [out_there](https://archiveofourown.org/users/out_there/gifts).



> Thanks to [](http://www.livejournal.com/users/butterflykiki/profile)[**butterflykiki**](http://www.livejournal.com/users/butterflykiki/) and [](http://www.livejournal.com/users/shoshannagold/profile)[**shoshannagold**](http://www.livejournal.com/users/shoshannagold/) for the beta assistance. (Shosh provided both the T-shirt and the title.) This is [](http://www.livejournal.com/users/out_there/profile)[**out_there**](http://www.livejournal.com/users/out_there/)'s second birthday present, as it's officially her birthday in Australia, and it's also for [](http://www.livejournal.com/users/ilexa/profile)[**ilexa**](http://www.livejournal.com/users/ilexa/) again since she gave me the idea.

"Tell me you found us another flight."

"They gave us the last two seats in coach, and we have to transfer in Las Vegas," Casey reported.

Dan barely blinked. "Good. Let's go."

"Are you serious?"

"Casey, if it would get me out of these horrible airport seats, I'd transfer through Moscow." Dan shifted, and the icepack he was sitting on crackled.

"We're just going to go sit in horrible air _plane_ seats."

Dan handed Casey his bag when he tried to lean over and couldn't. "Yeah, well, I'll bitch about that when we get there."

***

They shouldered their way down the aisle. Casey gave business class a wistful look, but Dan pushed him on.

Their seats were only a couple of rows back from the end of the plane. Dan and Casey stopped and exchanged a look. The middle seat was already occupied by a man with a receding hairline, an unfriendly expression, and a T-shirt that proclaimed "Geeks Do It Exponentially."

"Hi there," Casey aid cheerfully. The man didn't even look up. He may have moved his knees in a fraction, but that was doubtful.

Casey and Dan traded another look. Casey motioned Dan toward an overhead bin--the one by their seat was crammed full of stuff that clanked--and smiled even more brightly at the guy. Not that it mattered, since he still didn't look up.

"If you'd prefer, you're welcome to sit in my aisle seat."

"No thanks. I have better things to do than get tripped over by every beverage-pushing automaton and idiot with a weak bladder."

Dan rejoined them. "Would my window seat be better?"

"Yes, my ambition in life is to be sucked out of the plane during a midair collision. Sit down and stop talking to me."

He went back to whatever he was doing--it involved muttering at an electronic device Commander Data wouldn't have been ashamed to claim.

"You and your airport seats," Casey muttered. He gestured Dan into the row, then had to hold Dan's bag so he could pretty much climb over the middle seat.

"Any icepacks left?" Dan asked through gritted teeth.

Casey shook his head sadly. He folded himself into the aisle seat. In less than a minute, someone tripped over his feet. The guy still didn't look up, but he smirked.

***

Dan waited until they hit cruising altitude to try to make friends. Casey was somewhat surprised by his restraint. Then again, their seatmate had been sulking since the flight attendant had caught him sneaking his doohickey out of his bag after the no-electronics announcement.

("You're kidding, right? I could fly the plane with this thing if I wanted."

"All the more reason, sir.")

She'd finally confiscated it, which had made him almost incoherent with rage. And into the stony silence that followed--

"I'm Dan Rydell. And you are--?"

" _Not_ in the mood for a cloud-side chat."

Danny, being Danny, couldn't be deterred by one measly brush-off.

"So are you going to Las Vegas for the gambling?"

Casey rolled his eyes. "Does this guy look like he's going on a spree?"

He was drowned out by a vociferous denial from their seatmate. Dan's muttered "clearly you've never been in the zone" was met with an eye-glazing lecture on the statistical probabilities of each and every major game of chance played in the state of Nevada.

Casey glared at Dan. Dan just grinned back. He'd rather be yelled at than ignored any day. Casey could see him taking breath to debate the point and couldn't stand it.

"So what were you doing in Vancouver?"

Dan looked thwarted. The guy looked startled. "Vacation," he said, then seemed surprised he'd said it.

"I should have guessed. You look so relaxed," Casey said with a completely straight face.

"Oh, yes," the guy said, fortunately missing Dan's incredulous look. "I was--" he gestured-- "this close to a stroke before I left, I swear. I live with far too much stress."

"Good for you." Casey carefully avoided eye contact with Dan.

"And what were you two doing there?"

"Getting knocked on our asses."

"No, that's just you, Danny. Celebrity hockey tournament," Casey clarified.

"You two are celebrities?"

"Yes," they said in unison.

"We're on TV," Dan added.

"You're on--wait. Wait. Dan Rydell. And you--you--" The guy snapped his fingers at Casey. "I forget your name. But you're on that sports show nobody watches!"

"Yes, that's it exactly," Casey managed. Dan looked pained.

"Some of my less evolved coworkers have it on sometimes. I will admit that your insights on hockey aren't completely devoid of merit."

"Ah...thank you," Casey said.

"But why do you talk so much about soccer?"

"Soccer is an immensely popular--"

"--sport on other continents," Dan interrupted. "With populations that value being bored to death, apparently."

"It's a sport. We cover it. You don't get to skip it just because of your personal preferences, Danny."

"But it's not just me!" Dan waved at their seatmate. "Here's an audience member--a clearly intelligent one--and he agrees with me."

"Absolutely." The guy looked smug. "You could use the time to cover curling in much more detail."

"Are we there yet?" Casey asked no one in particular.

***

Dan was so busy arguing with their neighbor--they'd finished curling and were now inexplicably bickering about lacrosse--that he'd followed him right out of the terminal. Casey rolled his eyes and followed. It was a long enough layover, they'd get back in time. And who was he to deprive Danny of his fun?

They were met at the terminal door by a dark-haired man in an Air Force uniform. "Doctor," he said briskly.

"Major," the guy--the doctor--said. "They don't usually send commissioned officers chasing after me. The universe really can't function without my supervision, can it?"

The major eyed Casey and Dan. "Friends of yours?"

"TV stars. We were discussing lacrosse. Never mind. I assume we're in a hurry?"

The major sort of smiled. "Aren't we usually? This way, Doctor."

"Nice meeting you," Dan called after them.

"Bye! Rethink the curling thing!"

Casey and Dan watched him leave. "Well, that was...an experience," Casey said.

Dan looked thoughtful. "You know, Area 51 isn’t far from here. Do you think maybe he works with aliens or something?"

"I think maybe he is an alien. And his people are a geeky, tactless race."

"So he's from your solar system, then." Dan ducked Casey's mock punch. "Either way it'll make a good story for Jeremy."

"True."

They shouldered their bags and headed back into the airport.

"He might have a point, though."

"I wonder if there are any seats available in the cargo hold?"


End file.
